


Watching a Beautiful Woman Laugh

by Jean Genie (Su_Abeille)



Category: Penny Dreadful (TV)
Genre: Drabble, F/M, FIx It, Fluff, One Shot, Season Three Pain relief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 09:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6899806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Su_Abeille/pseuds/Jean%20Genie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 3 was very painful for Ethanessa shippers, so I wrote this little moment-of-happiness one shot to help all of us who suffered.  It's a love song to Eva/Vanessa's giggling/laughing/scrunchy nose and Ethan's delight in it.</p><p>Set in <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/series/351620">The Lovers series, my season 3 AU</a> but can be read separately.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Watching a Beautiful Woman Laugh

**Author's Note:**

> The wonderful prompt was given to me by my sister in E&V suffering vanessaschandler. [She made a gifset of the laughs of Eva's/Vanessa's here](http://homicidalbrunette.tumblr.com/post/144616527487/i-wrote-a-one-shot-of-happyethan-and)

“I came up with the plan to convince Peter that there was a ghost that walked the hallway outside his bedroom. Mina and I concocted the story together, about a little boy who had died in the house years and years ago and now was trapped there, looking for a playmate. Mina told him this story so convincingly, with this half frightened tone in her voice. Because you know, that the secret to getting someone to believe something like this, to sound afraid yourself.”

It was true that nothing was ever as entrancing as watching a beautiful woman laugh, but when Vanessa Ives laughed, it left you breathless. Sitting across the table from her, Ethan watched with fascination as she told this story from her childhood, watched her hands accentuating her words, her long elegant fingers weaving a spell in front of her, her face alight with mirth at this naughty trick she had played. Her cheeks were flushed, her pale blue eyes danced and her beautiful expressive mouth quirked at the corners with mischievous glee. It was her laugh though, that was what he was waiting for. She was never more beautiful, no woman ever could be, then when she laughed.

“What cruel little brats Mina and I were! I mean, we delighted in it, we laughed ourselves sick after Peter had been sent to bed, his eyes wide with fright.” She giggled then, her nose scrunching up as she did and Ethan was weak with love and delight in that moment. That nose scrunch is what he loved the most. It made the formidable Miss Ives, with all her power and sharpness, look adorable, really and truly adorable.

“It was probably about half past ten when Mina and I heard him. He was screaming from his room ‘I don’t want to play with you!!’”

Then she truly lost it then, a full throated laugh pouring out of her as she tossed her head back. Ethan realized that no, this was what he loved most, this abandonment when she was laughing, her whole body falling back with it.

He laughed with her, picturing her as this bold, mischievous little girl, delighting in her teasing as much as this bold, mischievous woman before him did.

“Sir Malcolm came rushing down the hallway, and Mina and I knew that we were truly in trouble now. So of course we laid there pretending to sleep like perfect little angels when we heard him finally leave Peter’s room and walk down the hall past her door. He stopped then, and I heard him say ‘The bit about the boy wanting to play jacks was a nice touch, girls.’” 

She was overcome again, giggling uncontrollably.

“Maybe you can pull the same trick on the good Doctor." He grinned at her.  "Imagine how great his reaction would be.”

Then he got it, the rarest of all, and he decided no, this is when he loved her the most. She let out a series of little snorts of laughter, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment when she did.

“Ethan!” She chided him through her laughter. She knew he always sought this from her, this moment of complete disregard for all the properity and uptightness she was raised with.

“I’m sorry, darlin’, I had to hear it just once.”

The nose scrunch, the head thrown back with laughter and the little snorts. He was a very lucky man.

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in the [The Lovers series AU.](http://archiveofourown.org/series/351620) There is a prequel to this series called [Sleeping Beauty](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5359436) as well as a sequel called [Wedding.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6628774/chapters/15168202) There are also two short stories set in the universe called [Diamonds and Pearls](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6628774/chapters/15951589) and [Watching a Beauty Woman Laugh,](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6899806) followed by a two part story called [Grief.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7362892) The series ends with [Grandpa.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7332376)


End file.
